The Alabama Crimson Tide cruised to victory over Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Thursday in their first round NCAA Tournament game. Alabama is one of the favorites to emerge from March Madness and win the national championship. They've been one of the best teams in the country all season. The big story of the game though was projected NBA lottery pick Brandon Miller going scoreless. After the game it was revealed by Alabama basketball head coach Nate Oats that Brandon Miller is playing through a groin injury.
Oats on Brandon Miller, who was scoreless in 19 minutes: "He's got a groin injury that he's been nursing since Sunday."
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) March 16, 2023
Brandon Miller was playing with a hurt groin in SEC Tournament, per Nate Oats. Miller won SEC Tournament MVP
"He showed how tough he is to be able to play through some injuries"
— Nick Kelly (@_NickKelly) March 13, 2023
According to Nate Oats, Miller has been dealing with the injury since the SEC Tournament last week during which he won Tournament MVP. Alabama has other options on the team aside from Miller as evidenced by their easy win in the first round with him not scoring a single point. But if they hope to ultimately win the title, they will need Miller at full strength. He finished the game missing all five of his shots.
This season, Miller has averaged 19.6 points per game, 8.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists with shooting splits of 45.1 percent shooting from the field, 40.1 percent shooting form the three-point line and 85.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line. Miller has been the subject of off the court controversy this season as well.
As March Madness continues, Brandon Miller's lingering injury and how it affects his play and Alabama basketball's title hopes will most definitely be a storyline to monitor. The Crimson Tide will face off against the Maryland Terrapins in the second round on Saturday.
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